First Day of Production Just Around the Corner For Crazy8s 2015 Filmmakers

The films will premiere at a Gala Screening on Sat. February 28th at The Centre, to be followed by an Afterparty at Science World

VANCOUVER, February 11, 2015 – Friday the 13th may not be a lucky day for some, but we’re sure it will be for the Crazy8s filmmakers slated to start shooting their short films on February 13th. From then, production continues till February 15th, followed by five days of post, with final delivery scheduled for February 20th. The six completed films will premiere at the legendary Crazy8s Gala Screening and Afterparty, to be held on Saturday, February 28th.

It’s been a frenzied four weeks of pre-production and sleep deprivation for our teams since the winning six Crazy8s 2015 films were announced in early January. Since then, the filmmakers have been put through their paces with production meetings, a DGC-BC directors workshop, producers workshop, an IATSE 669 Cinematography workshop, location scouting, casting sessions with Kris Woznesensky and Kara Eide Casting, rehearsals, follow-up meetings, and (for the producers at least) paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork!

As production inches closer, here’s how the films (and the filmmakers) are shaping up:

     • Triple-threat Aubrey Arnason (writer, lead actor and co-director of Kindergarten: Da Bin Ich Wieder) is sharpening her pencil crayons in anticipation of her return to kindergarten for this fantastical, Wes Anderson-inspired comedy. Co-stars include a gaggle of five-year-olds, a super-cute bunny and a hamster who may or may not do his own stunts.

    • One Last Ride writer/director Caitlin Byrnes, the daughter of Vancouver’s own blues legend Jim Byrnes, is deep into rehearsals with her lead actor, singer/songwriter Colleen Rennison, on a film written just for her, about the transcendent power of music. (And don't forget to look for Byrnes the Elder in a    cameo!)

    • His 90-year-old grandmother’s victimization by telephone fraud inspired writer/director Scott Belyea to create the scenario for Outside the Lines, a gritty drama that endeavours to peel back the curtain on a burgeoning criminal industry and see what lies behind it. (Veteran actor Brenda McDonald stands in for Scott's granny in the film.)

    • The classic fairy tale is given a whole new orientation in co-writer/director Angie Nolan’s The Twisted Slipper. In this glamorous, glitter-fabulous version, David C. Jones plays Destiny, a Fairy Drag Mother sent to rescue poor Cinder from his unhappy life as an over-worked barista forced by his evil stepmother to deny his true self.

    • Renown acting coach Mel Tuck flexes his own acting chops in writer/director Mo Soliman’s Under a Glass Moon – a role that requires the septuagenarian thespian to engage in a fair amount of hand-to-hand combat. Thanks goodness veteran fight choreographer Tanay Genco Ulgen will be there to make sure it all goes smoothly.

    • Writer/director Jem Garrard is working with Dallas Harvey and the team at Vancouver Makeup Effects to turn a mild-mannered French teacher into a very frightening werewolf in The Wolf Who Came to Dinner. As most of the effects will be practical, rather than added with CGI in post, an epic werewolf prosthetic will need to be created.

For being a part of Crazy8s, each team receives $1,000 and a production support package that includes a RED camera, sound recording equipment, a lighting and grip package, production insurance, location permits, on-line editing, a professional sound mix, and much more. Huge thanks to our wonderful sponsors and supporters for making it all possible.

The finished films will premiere at a Gala Screening at The Centre (777 Homer St) on Saturday, February 28th at 7:00 pm. This year’s Gala is hosted by Diana Bang (The Interview) and Nelson Wong (American Mary), both members of the Assaulted Fish sketch comedy troupe. The Afterparty that follows at Science World will include a red carpet photo entrance, performances by Colleen Rennison and the band No Sinner, and sets by DJ Static of WEFUNK Radio and DJ Emilita. All that, plus food, drink, and the chance to interact with the fabulous exhibits at Science World! Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. More info and tickets on our website at www.crazy8s.cc or at http://crazy8s2015gala.brownpapertickets.com/

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Media Contact:
Caroline Coutts – Crazy8s Publicist
caroline@crazy8s.cc
604-803-9210

www.crazy8s.cc
www.facebook.com/crazy8sfilm
@Crazy8sFilm
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Crazy8s 2015 Winning Teams and Projects:

KINDERGARTEN, DA BIN ICH WIEDER
  • Aubrey Arnason (Director/Writer), Kalyn Miles (Director), Laura Brooke Toplass and David Angelski (Producers)
   • Featuring Aubrey Arnason, Noel Johansen, Daniel Arnold, Tammy Gillis, Peter Chau, Lina Renna, Kristen York, Bailey Skodje, Christos Shaw

When word gets out that up-and-coming TV jingle writer Audrey Ragnarson doesn’t have a complete education, she loses the prestigious Mr. Nogs Noggy Egg Nog campaign and is forced to go back to school to complete the year she missed: Kindergarten. Ryerson Elementary makes Audrey a better person, but will she be able to bring what she learns in kindergarten back to her life at Jingle Jangle Inc.?

ONE LAST RIDE
  • Caitlin Byrnes (Director/Writer), Jordan Barber and Kyle Hollett (Producers)
   • Featuring Colleen Rennison, Manoj Sood, Britt Irvin, Jesse Haddock

Tired of being ripped off by entitled hipsters, taxi driver Inderjeet Dhaliwal is prepared to call the cops when his latest customer, a boisterous young soul singer named Maggie, can’t pay the fare. Desperate to get to her audition, Maggie attempts to find some common ground between them, and uncovers an unexpected shared love of deep soul music.

OUTSIDE THE LINES
  • Scott Belyea (Director/Writer), Dave Rice and Keli Moore (Producers)
   • Featuring Cameron Bright, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Bob Frazer, Jessica Harmon, Josh Blacker, Christian Tessier, Lane Edwards, JJ Webb, Brenda
      McDonald, Matt O’Mahoney

When the call centre he works at is outsourced overseas, D.J. is out of a job and dead broke. Lured by the rewards of the morally-bankrupt but highly lucrative world of telephone fraud, D.J. struggles to do the right thing. A gritty, uncompromising look at the initiation of a novice into the dark side.

THE TWISTED SLIPPER
  • Angie Nolan (Director/Writer), Sharai Rewels (Writer), Katie Schaitel (Producer)
   • Featuring Adam DiMarco, David C Jones, Ryan McDonell, Laura Adkin, Siobhan McCarthy, Sharai Rewels

Cinder is a young barista forced to conceal his true self and toil day and night in his evil stepmother’s coffee shop. Not allowed to attend the ball hosted by the very eligible Mr. Gavin Charming, a distraught Cinder is visited by Destiny, his fabulous Fairy Drag Mother, who transforms him into the stunning drag queen of his dreams. Will Cinder finally achieve his happily ever after?

UNDER A GLASS MOON
  • Mo Soliman (Director/Writer), Brent McCorkle (Producer)
   • Featuring Mel Tuck and Alison Wandzura

An elderly man is attacked in his home one evening by a masked intruder. As the police speed to the scene of the crime, the man fights for his life. In the horrific scenario that plays out, it is revealed that neither the old man nor his assailant are who they appear to be, and that in fact these two share a disturbing past.

THE WOLF WHO CAME TO DINNER
  • Jem Garrard (Director/Writer), Michael Khazen (Producer), Beatrice King (Co-Producer)
   • Featuring Audrey Smallman, Madeline Arthur, Caroline Cave, Adrian Hough

Beatrice Barkley is an eight-year-old horror fanatic with a serious problem: her mom’s brought her new boyfriend home to meet the family, and no-one but Bea seems to notice he’s a werewolf. Over the course of the evening, Bea uses her expert knowledge of werewolf weaknesses to attempt to expose the seemingly innocuous French teacher as the dangerous monster he is — with unexpected results.

Heartfelt thanks to all our generous sponsors and supporters:

PRESENTING SPONSORS: Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, The Harold Greenberg Fund, Super Channel
GOLD SPONSORS: IATSE Local 891
SILVER SPONSORS: DGC-BC, Union of BC Performers, Reunion Pictures
BRONZE SPONSORS: CMPA BC Producers Branch, AFBS, IATSE Local 669, ACFC West, CineCoup, EP Canada, Canada Film Capital
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORTERS: Langara College Film Arts, Capilano University School of Motion Picture Arts, UBC Creative Writing Program, UBC Department of Theatre & Film
MEDIA SPONSOR: The Georgia Straight

See the full list of our sponsors and supporters at http://www.crazy8s.cc/partners